DasUBoot

DasUBoot

Das u-boot is a fancy bootloader with net support and scripting capabilities.

Device tree control: a new approach to nios2 u-boot

This is a new approach to port u-boot for nios2 boards. We use device tree blob generated from the sopcinfo file to control u-boot. The same dtb can be used to control Linux.

This feature is available in the u-boot mainline, prepared for v2016.01. This is not compatible with the v2013.01 based Altera release.

Get the source

You can clone the git from denx server and create the branch,

$ git clone git://git.denx.de/u-boot.git

$ cd u-boot

Configure for Max10 10m50 devboard

Take 10m50 devboard GHRD 15.1 with 16550 UART as an example,

Program the Max10 device with the pof from max10_devkit_ghrd_15.1.zip on the rocketboards.org,

$ quartus_pgm --mode=jtag -o p\;ghrd_10m50daf484c6ges_top.pof

Configure for 10m50 devboard and build,

$ export CROSS_COMPILE=nios2-elf- (or nios2-linux-gnu-)

$ make 10m50_defconfig

$ make

Now you will have u-boot-dtb.bin as final binary output. We will use this to program the flash.

Open another terminal to connect the serial port, eg I use picocom,

$ picocom -b 115200 /dev/ttyUSB0

Open yet another terminal to run gdb-server,

$ nios2-gdb-server --tcpport 2342 --tcppersist

Run gdb and download the binary to SDRAM at 0xcc000000,

$ nios2-elf-gdb

(gdb) target remote localhost:2342

(gdb) restore u-boot-dtb.bin binary 0xcc000000

(gdb) jump *0xcc000000

Now you will see the u-boot prompt on the serial, erase and program the QSPI flash at 0xf4000000,

==> erase f4000000 +80000

==> cp.b cc000000 f4000000 80000

You may use this method to program the Linux kernel and rootfs images.

Configure for CycloneIII 3c120 devboard

Take 3c120 devboard GHRD with JATG UART as an example,

Configure for 3c120 devboard and build,

$ export CROSS_COMPILE=nios2-elf- (or nios2-linux-gnu-)

$ make 3c120_defconfig

$ make

Now you will have u-boot-dtb.bin as final binary output. We will use this to program the flash.

Open yet another terminal to run gdb-server,

$ nios2-gdb-server --tcpport 2342 --tcppersist

Run gdb and download the binary to SDRAM at 0xd4000000,

$ nios2-elf-gdb

(gdb) target remote localhost:2342

(gdb) restore u-boot-dtb.bin binary 0xd4000000

(gdb) jump *0xd4000000

Open another terminal to connect the serial port,

$ nios2-terminal

Now press enter and you will see the u-boot prompt on the serial, erase and program the CFI flash at 0xe2800000,

==> erase e2800000 +80000

==> cp.b d4000000 e2800000 80000

Change serial console

If you want to change the serial device for console, you will need to select it with "$ make menuconfig" in u-boot dir.

Device Drivers ---> Serial drivers --->

[*] Require a serial port for console

[*] Enable Driver Model for serial drivers

[ ] Enable an early debug UART for debugging

[ ] Altera JTAG UART support

[*] Altera UART support

[ ] NS16550 UART or compatible

And change the "stdout-path=..." property with your serial path to the chosen node in dts, like this,

chosen {

stdout-path = &uart_0;

};

Add a new board

Follow u-boot/doc/README.nios2 to add a new board to u-boot.

Booting Linux

You will need to select this feature in Linux kernel with "$ make menuconfig",

Processor type and features ---> [*] Passed kernel command line from u-boot

The device tree blob used in u-boot is exported as an environment variable ${fdtcontroladdr}. It can be used to boot Linux vmImage.

==> bootm ${loadaddr} - ${fdtcontroladdr}

Sample u-boot session of 10m50 devboard

U-Boot 2016.01-rc2-00169-g1c0e84c (Dec 19 2015 - 10:10:06 +0800)

CPU: Nios-II

DRAM: 128 MiB

Flash: 64 MiB

Model: Altera NiosII Max10

SYSID: facecafe, Sun Dec 13 02:52:00 2015

Net: eth0: ethernet@400

=> setenv ethaddr 00:07:ED:0A:03:29

=> setenv ipaddr 192.168.1.10

=> setenv serverip 192.168.1.5

=> saveenv

Saving Environment to Flash...

Un-Protected 1 sectors

Erasing Flash...Erased 1 sectors

Writing to Flash... done

Protected 1 sectors

=> print

baudrate=115200

ethaddr=00:07:ED:0A:03:29

fdtcontroladdr=cff4cb8c

ipaddr=192.168.1.10

loadaddr=0xcc000000

serverip=192.168.1.5

stderr=serial@18001600

stdin=serial@18001600

stdout=serial@18001600

ver=U-Boot 2016.01-rc2-00169-g1c0e84c (Dec 19 2015 - 10:10:06 +0800)

Environment size: 285/65532 bytes

=> bd

DRAM bank = 0x00000000

-> start = 0xC8000000

-> size = 0x08000000

flash start = 0xF4000000

flash size = 0x04000000

flash offset= 0x00000000

ethaddr = 00:07:ED:0A:03:29

ip_addr = 192.168.1.10

baudrate = 115200 bps

=> fl

Bank # 1: Altera QSPI flash Size: 64 MB in 1024 Sectors

F4000000 +4000000

=> cpu detail

-1: cpu@0 Nios-II

ID = 0, freq = 75 MHz: L1 cache, MMU

=> dm tree

Class Probed Name

----------------------------------------

root [ + ] root_driver

simple_bus [ + ] |-- sopc@0

serial [ + ] | |-- serial@18001600

mtd [ + ] | |-- quadspi@0x180014a0

misc [ + ] | |-- sysid@18001528

eth [ + ] | |-- ethernet@400

timer [ + ] | |-- timer@18001440

gpio [ ] | |-- gpio@180014d0

gpio [ ] | |-- gpio@180014c0

timer [ ] | `-- timer@880

simple_bus [ ] `-- cpus

cpu [ ] `-- cpu@0

=> gpio status -a

Bank led:

led0: unknown

led1: unknown

led2: unknown

led3: unknown

Bank button:

button0: unknown

button1: unknown

button2: unknown

=> gpio clear led0

gpio: pin led0 (gpio 0) value is 0

=> mii info

PHY 0x00: OUI = 0x5043, Model = 0x0C, Rev = 0x02, 1000baseT, FDX

PHY 0x01: OUI = 0x5043, Model = 0x0C, Rev = 0x02, 10baseT, HDX

=> mdio list

ethernet@400:

0 - Marvell 88E1111S <--> ethernet@400

=> ping 192.168.1.5

Using ethernet@400 device

host 192.168.1.5 is alive

Addressing for devices : very Important !

All the devices you referred, must be properly virtual addressed. The cache bypassing macro, ldbio/stbio, may NOT be used for some drivers.

Kernel region, cached : only for sdram

(sdram | 0x0) for nommu, (sdram | 0xc0000000) for mmu.

IO region, uncached: all the others, including cfi flash, epcs/spi flash, uart, jtaguart, timer, lan, cf ,etc.

(port | 0x80000000) for nommu, (port | 0xe0000000) for mmu.

For exmaple, if the cfi flash is located at physical address 0x04000000, now you should refer to address 0x84000000 for nommu or 0xe4000000 for mmu. eg,